Watch this 450 hp cargo mover in action

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Having a cargo van modded for drag racing might not be the optimum approach but isn’t impossible either.

Take the case of this Aussie 2006 Mazda E2000 (also known as Bongo in other places), packing no less than 450 horsepower.

Its 2.0-liter four pot hiding under the passenger’s bench was swapped for a V6 unit coming from a Holden Commodore. After the turbocharger was fit in and the engine remapped, this 1.6-ton (3,640 lbs) Mazda van came to be on par with the likes of 2007 Mercedes C63 AMG and 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

We’ve seen unusual drag races before, or uneven competitors running on the straights, but this ridiculously cute little thing is something entirely new for us. We don't know how much it needs to reach 60 mph from a standstill but the owner's best quarter-mile time is 11.9 seconds. And he's aiming for a "low eleven" now.